Pitching phenom Bruce "Jilly" Gillette has a hard time talking to women. His hulking presence of tattoos and muscles is what makes him an intimidating closer on the mound, yet off the field, he's painfully shy, uncomfortable in his own skin.Desperate to revamp his loner image, the New York Kings hold a dream date contest, granting the lucky winner a night on the town with their surly reliever, doing whatever it takes to force Jilly out of his comfort zone.Hailey Halpert enters the contest on a whim, looking for answers as to why her high school relationship with Jilly hit the skids. Now she’s a popular romance author writing under a pen name, and her reappearance in Jilly's life is no accident. It turns out that her novels are all about the sexy players on the Kings, and Jilly has no clue that he's about to become her new leading man.

Now, this is a did not finish for me because it failed to really draw me in. It was good but I just wasn't really taken with the characters. It's a sweet, second chance romance, something that you have to be in the mood for. I would probably enjoy this more if I was in the mood for some sugary love.

That aside, this is a rather different take on our usual alpha male athlete. Bruce "Jilly" Gilette is insecure and uncomfortable in his own skin. He has his flaws, fears and doubts, even a broken heart. Jilly and Hailey are lovely to read but I decided to pass on to the next book as I wasn't as taken and had limited reading time. I didn't read the other books so I didn't feel as much for Gilly as I probably would have if I did but you can read this as a stand alone!

"Practice makes perfect. Isn't that what all you athletes say?" She gives me a saucy wink, and I know then that everything's going to be okay. "Yeah, but I think I’m gonna need you to help me work on my stamina." I give her what I hope is a sexy look.She chuckles, blushing a little."I wanna learn every noise you make when I touch the places on your body that get you going. I wanna memorize the look I put on your face when you throw back your head, begging me with your last breath not to stop what I’m doing to you," I reply, watching her face turn a highly arousing shade of pink. She pouts, her lips full and plump. “Do you know that I spent three hours picking out my underwear for you?""Really?” I ask, laughing."Too much?" She crinkles her brow at me, and it’s so fuckin’ adorable. "Hailey…I’m very appreciative." I kiss the tip of her nose, getting her to smile back at me."I didn't know if…" she trails off."You never have to do anything more for me." I reach down and stroke her face."I just wanna measure up." She holds onto my shoulders, resting her forehead against my chest."Hey…" I say gently, meeting her eyes as she gazes up at me. “I don’t want anyone…but you.”She swallows hard, her smile returning to her face, as she grabs my bicep. I feel the heat of her gaze. Maybe I do want to see that naughty side of her after all.

About The Author . . .

Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball's biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette's impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven.Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she's not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her at collette_west@yahoo.com.She is the author of NIGHT GAMES and GAME CHANGER.Website•Blog•Twitter•Facebook•Goodreads